Find your Plan A
We've all heard the sayings "do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life" or "if you can dream it, you can do it". I used to scoff at these expressions. I would ask myself, "What's the catch?". Surely the people making these outrageous claims had something they weren't telling us. Perhaps they had a huge nest egg of cash allowing them to take such wild risks or maybe they had some concrete fall back plan if things didn't work out. That type of thinking kept me in a job that I hated for four straight years. Four years of daydreaming about making a living doing what I love. Like so many, I believed that work would forever be nothing more than a means to an end. I figured I would live forever dreading Monday morning and counting the hours until the weekend.
I was crippled by the fear of failure and the unknown. I didn't want to give up the security of a steady paycheck and benefits. Somewhere along the way I began to believe in what these other risk-takers were saying. I would literally study these people to verify their success wasn't a hoax. I finally realized that there were people all around me who were truly doing what they love. Making their own hours, being their own boss, and pouring their hearts into their passions. I was convinced and I wanted what they had.
In 2017 it finally happened for me and I want to tell you all that I am LIVING THE LIFE I ALWAYS DREAMED OF!!! I thought maybe this might be a pink could that would wear off and somehow reality would kick me in the face but that hasn't been the case. Every single day is more beautiful than the next. It still floors me when people ask me what I do for a living and I can respond by telling them I am a musician. It still floors me that people pay me to do this. It still floors me the way God continues to provide me with opportunities every single day, reaffirming that I made the right decision. I am learning that everything in life worth having requires sacrifice. For me, I've sacrificed the security of a steady paycheck and benefits. I make up for that by hustling my butt off to get the next gig, sell the next CD, etc. Sure, I make less money but you can't put a price tag on the joy of doing what you love.
I want to tell you a little bit about how I got here. One of the secrets I learned from other risk-takers was the importance of planning. Before I made the leap into full-time music, I made sure that there were enough opportunities out there to sustain me financially. I moonlighted as a musician while still working the full-time job for about a year and a half before I realized that it would work. I don't encourage anyone to jump into something that isn’t realistic. You wouldn’t try to make a living in the NBA if you’re 5’0” and un-athletic, that is just foolish. If you are reading this and you are already doing what you love then you know what I’m talking about. Maybe the thing you love is the kind of job that I had. Just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it can’t be for you. These words of encouragement are for those who are doing something that makes them unhappy. I was doing something that made me unhappy and my quality of life was suffering greatly. Why then would I not do everything in my power to remove myself from that situation and do the thing I love? We only get one life and we should make sure that each moment is spent joyfully in the present moment and not counting down the hours until something is over.
I don’t have a plan B. My eyes are fixed solely on Plan A. If I sit around and tell myself there is a plan B then I will never give 100% of my effort to Plan A. My hope is that everyone one of you finds your Plan A.
I am excited for you all to see the things that I have in store for you in 2018! As always, thank you so much for your support. Without your support, none of this is possible.
-Max Flinn-